Archivist Tom Kanon examines Tennessee’s role in the War of 1812
February 27, 2015 The nearly forgotten War of 1812, with the related Creek War, made Andrew Jackson a hero and launched Tennessee to national prominence. In Tennesseans at War, 1812 – 1815: Andrew Jackson, the Creek War, and the Battle of New Orleans, state archivist Tom Kanon details the causes, facets, and consequences of a fight that should be more remembered.
John Jeremiah Sullivan takes home the 2015 Windham Campbell Literature Prize for nonfiction—and $150,000
February 26, 2015 Sewanee grad John Jeremiah Sullivan has already won two National Magazine Awards, a Whiting Writers’ Award, and a Pushcart Prize. Now he’s added a new title to his list of accolades: the 2015 Windham Campbell Literature Prize for nonfiction.
Kelly Corrigan’s third memoir, Glitter and Glue, is a poignant tale of learning to love her mother
February 18, 2015 In her newest memoir, Glitter and Glue, Kelly Corrigan weaves together the complicated story of her relationship with her own mother and her 1992 experience as a nanny for a motherless family in Australia. Kelly Corrigan will discuss her third memoir, Glittler and Glue, at Gilda’s Club in Nashville on February 25, 2015, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a paperback copy of the bestselling memoir.
Amy Hoffman talks with Chapter 16 about her memoirs, Lies About My Family, An Army of Ex-Lovers, and Hospital Time
February 17, 2015 Amy Hoffman has two families: the one she was born into, and the one she’s chosen along the way. Her memoirs tell both family histories with humor, honesty, and tenderness. Hoffman will give a free public reading in Nashville at Vanderbilt University’s Calhoun Hall, Room 109, on February 24, 2015, at 7 p.m.
A unique writers’ group in Memphis has produced a book of first-hand accounts of homelessness
January 23, 2015 The Door of Hope Writing Group in Memphis is a weekly meet-up for homeless writers. The nonprofit’s new project, Writing Our Way Home: A Group Journey Out of Homelessness, chronicles both the hard times and big breakthroughs of writers living on the street.
Edward B. McCaul Jr. examines the Civil War struggle for control of the Mississippi River
January 22, 2015 To Retain Command of the Mississippi is Edward McCaul’s thorough look at everything—strategy, politics, personnel, boats, technology, and battles—connected with the campaign to establish control of the Mississippi during the first two years of the Civil War. McCaul argues that the river battle at Memphis could have gone the other way, with consequences that might have led to Confederate independence.
